Terry Paulson, PhD is a psychologist, award-winning professional speaker, author of The Optimism Advantage: 50 Simple Truths to Transform Your Attitudes and Actions into Results, and long-time columnist for the Ventura County Star. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2013 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Mon, 20 May 2013 04:01:00 GMT Mon, 20 May 2013 04:01:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Mr. President, every month since you've been in office, I've sent you a personal letter, as I have with every president since Bill Clinton. Since I respect the office of the President, I've always felt that it was my... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/05/20/to-a-president-losing-americas-trust-n1599440 cfe39389-19fe-4b75-b1fa-b9f6b2ce78fa Mon, 20 May 2013 04:01:00 GMT The magical spell that President Barack Obama has placed on Americans is unraveling. It's painfully evident that President Obama's words no longer match the self-evident facts. His rambling filibusters at press conferen http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/05/06/the-emperor-has-no-clothes-n1584773 8840231d-239a-41bd-8e66-210b0d2e3383 Mon, 06 May 2013 04:01:00 GMT The movie "42" captures Jackie Robinson's courageous and tumultuous rise from the negro leagues to the minors and, eventually, the Brooklyn Dodgers. The painful slurs and on-the-field attacks Robinson endured brings the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/04/22/to-those-who-live-their-sermon-n1572895 39dafa01-2309-4632-aada-d38b0e77c163 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:01:00 GMT My dream took form during a foggy morning drift on the edge of sleep. Planning the ratings coup of the decade, ESPN challenged President Obama to one final March Madness Bracket pick. Unable to resist such an... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/04/08/march-madness-budget-busting-picks-n1558973 b5f70a1b-227e-4543-87ad-05584e2c3c3d Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:01:00 GMT Travelers sometimes stand in awe of nature's beauty or achievements in architecture or the arts. On this trip to Amsterdam, we were confronted with man's choice to do evil or to take a stand for faith and freedom.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/03/25/libertys-choice-adjust-collaborate-or-resist-n1546116 e27ba78a-7904-4041-adfe-0bf84af23610 Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:01:00 GMT Do you think the federal government has a spending problem? In private negotiations, President Obama reportedly told Boehner, "We don't have a spending problem." When Boehner countered that "we have a very... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/03/11/budget-nightmares-just-beginning-n1527034 495fa47e-c847-490a-9511-503e3bdef6e9 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 04:01:00 GMT During black history month, we rightly celebrate men like black abolitionist Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther King, Jr. At pivotal points in America's history, these men took a stand for equal rights for black... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/02/25/honoring-successful-black-americans-n1517600 1f52bfb0-b58f-4b5d-8ff0-29d109444bcb Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:01:00 GMT Thanks to radio broadcast legend Paul Harvey's down-to-earth sense of America's heartland, Super Bowl viewers experienced an emotionally charged reminder of the values that made America what it is. The Dodge ad that... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/02/11/to-the-farmer-in-all-of-us-n1508160 82f5a238-d5a2-4ecb-8fc1-2d80f323ef97 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 05:01:00 GMT Imagine a day President Obama enters Oprah Winfrey's public confessional: Oprah: As you know Mr. President, I was one of your supporters. This is a difficult interview for me. Americans have many questions. Let's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/01/28/oprah-hosts-obamas-mia-culpa-2020-n1496816 fc4f76c6-440d-496a-9fa8-bef4e3b338a2 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:01:00 GMT Were you relieved when you heard on January 2nd that the House passed the Senate "compromise" bill to reinstate the Bush tax cuts for everyone making less than $400.000? People sighed, "At least my income taxes aren't http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2013/01/14/a-fiscal-fix-or-another-fix-n1486652 cacced78-f77a-44a2-afdb-10bbc85300d0 Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:01:00 GMT As a conservative columnist and author of "The Optimism Advantage," I've been asked to speak on "Keeping Conservative Hope Alive" in light of President Obama's election victory. In the New Year, here are seven ways... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/12/31/earning-conservative-optimism-for-2013-and-beyond-n1474955 e7865ac4-ae24-45e3-89a3-c533dcc3fa5e Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:01:00 GMT Over half of voting Americans are pleased to see Barack Obama continue for a second term while just under 50% are wondering how voters could reelect him after such a dismal record of broken promises. As believers, we... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/12/24/a-christmas-reminder-of-our-dual-citizenship-n1471282 c309c22e-981f-4b70-80ba-af43002664e3 Mon, 24 Dec 2012 05:01:00 GMT Thomas Jefferson warned us, "I, however, place economy among the first and most important Republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared. To preserve our independence, we must not let our... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/12/17/face-a-cliff-now-or-a-chasm-later-n1466572 e8736d83-70b0-44d8-b301-e865632ee347 Mon, 17 Dec 2012 05:01:00 GMT If Alexis de Tocqueville were to have written Democracy in America today, he might have shared an entirely different perception of America. He would have found too many of our citizens suffering from the depression of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/12/03/americas_choice_learned_helplessness_or_earned_opportunity 9f913cb6-a36d-4854-b485-001b989f56d0 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 05:01:00 GMT A regular reader e-mailed me the morning after Obama's election victory, "You should probably leave the country. best for all concerned. slam the door on yer way out." I replied, "Saving the future of America... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/11/19/just_who_are_the_fools 301bb26b-b9f3-48f3-bf54-ca7cf47f0b51 Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:01:00 GMT Trust is an invaluable asset for any leader. It's promised in every political campaign. But trust must be earned and reearned every day, and it's hard to regain once lost. President Obama came into office promising... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/11/05/trust_transparency_and_questions_worth_asking_before_you_vote 86149c15-c993-47ec-a897-acdc8c3a59e6 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 05:01:00 GMT After seeing the first two debates and awaiting the final one tonight, never has the choice for the American voter been clearer--the contrast is highlighted in bold colors. The future of America is in your hands. Here... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/10/22/ten_common_sense_reasons_to_vote_romneyryan 3930bb72-d611-4332-a7c2-1c8a764f3d05 Mon, 22 Oct 2012 04:01:00 GMT After watching the first debate, I refuse to believe that American voters will choose an encore for Obama's version of "hope and change." Regardless of his new campaign promises, Romney reminded us of Obama's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/10/08/had_enough_of_broken_promises a9a22277-b161-419a-ae54-f3c4df35f004 Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:01:00 GMT The Middle East is in turmoil. The Deficit is past 16 trillion. Our economy and job growth are limping along. Looming tax increases are on the horizon. The stark political choice Americans face is clear. Both party... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/09/25/a_few_more_civil_conversations 742eeb7c-8811-4d17-b146-adede5bd5676 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:01:00 GMT Millennials comprised 17 percent of the electorate in 2008 and voted for Obama by a 2-to-1 margin. With a recent Zogby Poll of what Zogby calls "CENGAs" ("college-educated, not going anywhere") indicated that 41% of http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/09/10/a_president_for_your_generations_future 69f301ac-8905-4836-8eb2-f45e9633698a Mon, 10 Sep 2012 04:01:00 GMT If you have not already summed up the Democratic talking points to usher in four more years of liberal "hope and change," you soon will as the political attacks drone on. One that remains a liberal favorite is how Mitt... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/08/28/bless_the_turnaround_specialists 4d88897f-e490-482b-9807-9aedbb2f0fec Tue, 28 Aug 2012 04:01:00 GMT Don't just put your trust in President Obama or in Mitt Romney. Elect the president who will put his trust in "We the People." That's right. It's time to put your trust in yourself, your fellow countrymen, your... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/08/13/let_our_people_go ca501171-f5cb-424d-843a-3c1b3133b045 Mon, 13 Aug 2012 04:01:00 GMT Reviving American values won't come by criticizing the media or railing at the intrusive nature of big government. It will come when parents once again take on the critical role of raising their children to be... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/07/30/reviving_good_values_starts_at_home 250b587b-757f-4f0a-859d-e8504278635b Mon, 30 Jul 2012 04:01:00 GMT Unearthing some politically incorrect statement by President Reagan, the media would charge, "You did this didn't you?" Reagan's reply: "Damn right, and I'd do it again!" Mitt Romney could do the same--"Game On, Mr.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/07/16/game_on_next_question abaefffe-10dd-4a99-b590-5ce25a2687d3 Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:01:00 GMT As we take time on July 4th to celebrate the liberty we cherish as American, it's important to recognize the critical role a free press plays in surfacing the truth "we the people" need to exercise our... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/07/02/where_are_todays_woodward_and_bernstein 0a0d5262-4727-443f-9a67-4fd1b0171259 Mon, 02 Jul 2012 04:01:00 GMT American capitalism doesn’t make you selfish; socialistic entitlements foster more selfishness. Free enterprise encourages you to earn your reward by serving customers willing to pay; entitlements build the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/06/18/caring_enough_to_challenge 3b5dc839-f179-4799-bdce-fe7e8c0f0a60 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 04:01:00 GMT While Romney campaigns on how poorly our economy is performing under President Obama, the President ought to thank the "red" state GOP governors who are generating both economic and job growth despite his... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/06/04/if_state_results_matter_romney_wins 650bd043-6483-432a-8feb-c54c0bb09c39 Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:01:00 GMT If you want to know what is wrong with the cost of education in America, look to some of the politicians you elected. We've been sold that cheap student loans are the answer to making education affordable. Nothing can... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/05/21/student_loan_help_makes_education_more_expensive 209d7ed6-9d7f-4de7-9c07-d69a52334e88 Mon, 21 May 2012 04:01:00 GMT Have you ever wondered how President Obama's budget can be unanimously defeated by both the House (414-0) and the Senate (97-0) and how the U.S. Senate can go three years without submitting or passing a single budget... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/05/07/time_to_end_the_us_debt_accelerator_baseline_budgeting 62649bb8-8c09-465e-9284-aa239cfbfdca Mon, 07 May 2012 04:01:00 GMT With our Presidential candidates clear, there's no better issue to contrast our choice than energy policy. At MittRomney.com, Romney provides an energy plan for the future that balances economic growth and jobs, diver http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/04/23/your_energy_votescarcity_or_abundance dd72c066-378a-481b-92cf-2edb69b97dff Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:01:00 GMT Whether looking at the founding or the future of our country, faith matters. As millions of Americans rose on Easter Sunday to attend services on the most holy day in the Christian calendar, the Good News of God's love... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/04/09/faith_still_matters_in_america 0c312aaa-9f04-4090-97ac-99955c3985e7 Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:01:00 GMT When Paul Ryan delivered this year's proposed Republican budget, the political response was predictable and divided. Republicans saw it as a sober and necessary response to a president who has put America on a "path to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/03/26/true_change_takes_people_not_just_politicians fa3126c3-3e95-4169-aa5c-590d1631ccef Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:01:00 GMT As with C.S. Lewis, I cannot disclose how this devilish, intercepted communication fell into my hands, but disclose it I must: Devil: Dear Graduate Wormwood, your bold move to take on America as your first... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/03/12/the_devil_made_me_do_it af44f175-556b-47b5-8907-3d8f6e6c363e Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:01:00 GMT Mark: "My name is Mark. I'm here at Government Anonymous because I'm addicted...addicted to government aid." Leader: "Welcome Mark. What made you finally decide to come tonight?" Mark: "I've always had a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/02/27/government_anonymous f738a422-b65a-4569-82d0-af7f12b1836e Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:01:00 GMT "We the people," in many ways, get what we deserve from our politicians. When a leader changes her position, she's called a flip-flopper. When a misstatement is made, the snippet is played endlessly on YouTube to the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/02/13/the_dialogue_we_deserve 6c4a74f1-5383-420c-92a4-90301a63725e Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:01:00 GMT In President Obama's State of the Union Address, the president shared a quote by Abraham Lincoln that finally got Republicans to rise and applaud a core principle that America used to stand for: "You cannot help men... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/01/30/obamas_trickle_down_government eac35b55-4768-493c-81a5-ccd32a7099c1 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:01:00 GMT Mitt Romney, fresh from victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, continues to attack President Obama and focus on how he has the business background to..."get America working again." But he can thank the Wall Street... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/01/16/bain_capitalboom_not_bust_for_romney 1460d185-3268-4c74-8a59-46e772b9b89c Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:01:00 GMT Happy New Year! Welcome to one of the most critical years in America's history. The economy continues to limp along. Many citizens are unemployed or underemployed; even more are at the end of their financial rope.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2012/01/02/time_for_reagans_american_optimism 31b76d69-953a-4d0f-9f76-da2e1aed6e9b Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:01:00 GMT Conservatives must be taking the wrong approach in getting the attention of American voters when comedians find that half of the people they interview on the street can't even name one Republican presidential candidate.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/12/19/the_lighter_side_of_conservative_truths 21b21f19-8f48-48de-8c93-204226a075a5 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:01:00 GMT Early Wednesday morning, Homer Paulson--my dad, my hero, my encourager, my laughing buddy, my Mr. Fixit, and my model for faith and conservative living--died at the age of 93. Dad didn't take a lot of time to tell us... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/12/05/fathers_matter a59fb4c5-8add-4415-a034-9c0cd3f75682 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:01:00 GMT Liberal politicians and the occupiers who are encamped in our cities are selling a discouraging story that the American Dream is dead and out of the reach for the average citizen without government actively engaging http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/11/21/long_live_the_american_dream b2670bc7-c9ed-4217-8402-1790216e0113 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:01:00 GMT At a recent National Speakers Association convention, agewave.com futurist Ken Dychtwald shared a startling fact, "Two-thirds of the people who have ever lived past 65 throughout history are alive today." That's not... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/11/07/avoiding_an_entitlement_nightmare_by_aging_responsibly e3eb8c89-235c-4285-b34b-5b23b087ed26 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:01:00 GMT The mirror into modern-day America created by the "occupiers" who have taken to the streets reveals painful images and insights for those committed to traditional American values. Even without a clear, core message,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/10/24/a_painful_mirror_for_america 2a2655ba-32d3-4317-8be8-e5911b5d2760 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:01:00 GMT Conservatives seem to be falling for the same myth that progressive voters fell for in 2008--the Myth of the Perfect Candidate! We need a better candidate--Maybe Perry or Christie will be the ONE! But as soon as any... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/10/10/the_myth_of_the_perfect_candidate 7306ff96-2117-420a-9d5c-2abf89349420 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:01:00 GMT Welcome to a political tale about a night visit to Rep. Maxine Waters from the Devil of America's Future: Maxine: Why are you here in my house!? Devil: You promised to help the "Tea Party" go to hell. Maxine:... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/10/03/the_devil_and_mrs_waters 3f72e054-6722-4b95-af92-ed0d48182335 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:01:00 GMT America--the home of the free and the brave--is changing. Could we still find those self-reliant, confident Americans like those who put their kids and possessions into a covered wagon and populated our country's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/09/26/home_of_the_dependent_and_the_hopeless 8d60ad21-fc60-4655-93dd-8d627e1ff1f3 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:01:00 GMT America's economy could have collapsed after 9/11, but instead, it rebounded. Its people could have sunk into depression, but we rose to the challenge of rebuilding and supporting those who had lost so much. Taking time... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/09/12/remembering_the_days_after b41f54d5-0684-4675-8025-5f61b5ad3ca3 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:01:00 GMT It's time to put America back to work! Chances are that President Obama will give his "New" plan after his vacation. Most likely, he'll announce a new stimulus plan with "shovel-ready" infrastructure improvements, a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/08/29/america_wants_answers 89e55974-2a0c-4543-9224-f44a4d2ba1a0 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:01:00 GMT S&P downgrading our debt rating to AA+ and Wall Street tumbling ought to let you know that we have a debt problem in Washington, but let's bring that problem home! Dave Ramsey makes the current debt situat http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TerryPaulson/2011/08/15/debt_comes_home_to_roost cdbabed5-62cc-43f8-8089-ea4acf226849 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:01:00 GMT